Thursday 8 October 2015

Soldiers of Christ




Scripture:  2 Timothy 2 v 3 - 4:

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."



If you have been chosen to be a soldier in Christ's army then you have to take conscription seriously. Like in a world army you are under orders. You cannot please yourself and go wandering off, you must stick with the battle plan.



Firstly, spend time in prayer to discover what activity/ies you are going to be involved in. Are you on the frontlines at the forefront of the fight? You need to be equipped with the whole armour of God; plus spiritual weapons. You cannot fight this enemy with guns, grenades and bombs. He has concealed himself behind people you love.



To confront him you must know your enemy. What are his tactics? Find out so you can outwit him. He has no new ideas so its always 'same old same old' with him.  Learn from your own life how he has deceived, tormented, frightened you. How did you overcome him? Use your testimony of salvation and deliverance as your primary weapon.



Find out about effective warfare prayer. Satan has one goal - to destroy every person ever born, even those who serve him so intensely. He does this to flaunt his victories before a loving Father, to bring sorrow to His heart. How would you feel if you had to watch a sadist torture your children? Effective prayer will bind the evil spirits and set the tormented free.



If you are called to work behind the lines, find your office - support in prayer, finance, hospitality, supplies, assistance in ministry, secretarial, organisational skills - do it with grace and love. Be constant and reliable, honest and holy in your commitment. What you do for those on the frontline will be blessed back to you in great rewards. 



A soldier never gets entangled in the things of the world while on the battlefield. You need to give your all to preserving life - those who are held captive by the enemy are marked for death. If Jesus is sending you to the rescue be very focussed on His instructions. Sometimes you have to forget the niceties to shout out a warning. Its not always well received!



But Jesus says if you don't warn them when He commands it, and they die in their sins, you have to bear the guilt too. But if you warn them and they reject your words then you are free of that guilt. So follow Jesus closely in all matters of warfare and rescue in order to be effective in saving souls.



The most powerful way to win a soul out of satan's clutches, is to make Jesus Christ real. If you have heard His voice then tell someone - Jesus spoke to me and told me He loves you. It may not click immediately but the Holy Spirit will have something to work with in that person's life.



So rise up Army of God and use the gifts, tools, testimonies and boldness through prayer to confront the enemy and win those precious souls out of his evil clutches. Jesus died for them to be free so give it your best shot.



Prayer: Father God, You chose me to be a soldier, to obey and to pray. Show me those who can be reached and rescued and teach me how to fight for them. In Jesus' name. Amen.